ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

To read the full abstract: Arch Med Sci. 2020;16(1):34–41. doi: 10.5114/aoms.2019.88406

Short summary: Alarming numbers are reported here on the high prevalence of T2DM in children and adolescents in Hungary. In this nationwide population-based study, the prevalence of T2DM in children aged 0–18 years rose between 2001 and 2006 from 20/100 000 to 36/100 000 and decreased thereafter to 22/100 000 by the end of 2016. Prevalent cases showed significant female predominance in every year.

Comment: The increasing prevalence of T2DM in children and adolescents is recognized as a serious public health issue. However, its prevalence varies across geographic regions and populations. In the U.S.A., the overall prevalence of T2DM is reported as 24/100 000, but differs widely by ethnicity: 63/100 000 in American Indians, 56/100 000 in non-Hispanic blacks, 40/100 000 in Hispanics, 19/100 000 in Asian Pacific Islanders, and only 9/100 000 in non-Hispanic whites.¹

Studies of T2DM prevalence in European children and adolescents also show a magnitude gap: 0.21/100 000 in England, and 2.3/100 000 in Germany, and now 22/100 000 in Hungary, which is as high as among U.S. Asian Pacific Islanders.

The reasons for the much higher prevalence of T2DM in Hungary compared to the rest of Europe are unknown and should be investigated. The optimistic message of the article is evidence of a decline over recent years in the incidence of T2DM among children and adolescents, from 8/100 000 per year to 5/100 000 per year.

Reference:

1. Dabelea D, Mayer-Davis EJ, Saydah S, et al. Prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents from 2001 to 2009. Jama 2014;311(17):1778–86. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.3201.